Ironing board



Nov; 1, 1.932. J E KALGREN 1,885,915

1110111116 BOARD Filed June 50, lSSO 2 Sheets-Sheet -1 Nov. l, 1932. l J. E. KALGREN 1,885,915

IRONING BOARD Filed June 30, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 j/Zzjgja Patented Nov. 1,- 1932 vf UNITED` STATES -PA'rjaN'r oFFlcE JOHN E. KALGBEN, OF IINNEAFOLIS, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOB TO J'. R. CLARK CO., Ol' MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, A CORPORATION OIFv MINNESOTA IBONING BOARD Application led June 80,

My present invent-ion provides an im roved ironing table of the knock-down or oldmg leg type which has all of the desirable features of a commercial ironing table, to wit:

simplicity of construction, low manufacture cost, maximum rigidity when set up, minimum of space when folded, ease of operation, durability, and neatness in appearance.

Generally stated, the invention consists of the novel construction, combinations and arrangement of parts-hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

A commercial form of the board is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective showing the ironing table set up for use;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; some parts being broken awa Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, some parts being broken away;

Fig. 4 is a. fragmentary longitudinal section taken in t-he plane indicated by dotted lines marked 4.-4 on Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary approximately horizontal section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a. rear elevation showing the table set up for use as in Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary longitudinal sec.- tion taken on the line 7-7 of Fig. 6;

- Fig. 8 is a fragmentary perspective showing one of the connections between the rear leg, the top brace bar and the bottom brace bar;

Fig. 9 is a section taken approximately on the line 9-9 of Fig. 8; p

Fig. 10 is a bottom plan view showing the table with its legs folded against the board as required for storage or shipment; and Fig. 11 is a side elevation of the ironing board showing b dotted lines the same set up for use and y full lines the legs in a partly folded position.

The table top or ironing board proper is 5 indicated by the numeral 11. Near its rear 1830. Serial Io. 484,820.

end the board is provided on its under side with rigidi secured pivot lugs preferably form integral by down-turned ends of a metallic strap or narrow plate 12 that is riveted or otherwise rigidly secured to said board. The down-turned ends of this metal strap 12 are distorted or laterally bent so as to afford pivot lugs 13 that diverge downwardly and other pivot lu s 14 that converge downwardly, see particu arly Figs. 2 and 3. Rear legs 15 are connected to the downwardly diverging lugs 13 by oblique pivots 16. By reference to Fig. 10 it will be noted that in horizontal section the lugs 13 are nearly or quite parallel or at least so nearly parallel that t e pivots 16 are nearly or quite within the vertical plane in which they are obliquely set. This oblique arrangement of the pivots 16 causes the legs 15 when turned down or perpendicular to the board to spread at their lower ends materially beyond the width of the ironing board, but causes said legs when turned against the board to come within the width ofthe board So that there is no projection of said legs beond the sides of the board when folded.

his, of course, is important for the urpose of storage or shipping. The increased) spread of the legs when the board is set up is, of

course, desirable to give the board lateral' stability.

The oblique leg 17 is pivotally connected to wardly. This pivotal connection of the board is made directly by a pivot bolt or rivet 18 to a yoke-like hinge bracket 19 that is riveted or otherwise rigidly secured to the board. Here it will be noted that the downward pivotal movement of the oblique leg 17, see Figs. 1 and 7, is limited not only by the engagement with the short upper end of said leg with the bottom of the board, but by engagement of that portion of the oblique leg that is near its pivot 18 with the transverse bottom portion 19a of hinge bracket 19.

The top brace preferably and as shown made up of a pair of brace bars 20 is pivotally connected to lower portions of the rear legs l5 and is detachably enga-geable with the bottom of the board. The pivotal connecthe rear portion of board 11 and inclines fortions between the top brace bars 20 and rear legs 15, as best shown infilFig. 9, are made by riveted bolts 21 or the like that also pivotally support pronged guide heads 22. The bars l 20, near their free ends, are shown as tied together by a link 23, see particularly Figs. 1 and 5, and the free ends of said bars are detachably en ageable with a detent on the bottom of the ard, the said detent as shown, l being supported by a cleat 24 b otherwise secured to the bottom o the board 11.

A bottom brace preferably and as shown made up of a heavy wire or light rod 25 bent into approximately V-sha d formation, connects the lower portion o the oblique legs 17 to the rear le s. The bowed front portion of this bottom race 25, as shown, is set into a notch formed in the lower front portion of l0 the obli ue leg 17 and is pivotally anchored A thereto by a staple 26 or the like. The rear ends of the arms of the bottom brace 25 work freely through slots 22Il formed in the lugs of the guide heads 22 and at the extreme ends u of said arms are formedNWith heads or upset ends 27 that stop against the respective guide heads when the table is set up. The slots 22l revent binding of the rods or arms of the ttom staple 25 in their sliding movements 80 throu h the heads, even if said rods should be sli ht y bent kor out of true alignment.

eans has already been described whereby the rear legs will be spread when turned down, but to give rigidity to the board-sup- 35 porting legs, further bracing or trussing means is necessar This further bracing means is provide by transversely crossed rear leg braces preferably in. the form of metal straps 28. These straps at their lower 4'19 ends are attached by rivets 29 or the like to intermediate portions of the rear legs and at their upper ends said rear leg braces 28 are connected by rivets 30 or the like to the downwardly converging pivot lugs 14. The pivots 30 are offset rearward from the leg pivot 16 at such distance that the braces 28 in their folding movements adapt themselves to or follow the natural spreading movements given to the rear legs w en turned downward and to the contracting movements given to said legs vwhen turned against the board. These braces connected as they are to a leg on one side and to a lug on the other side of the board and conforming to the natural spread of the legs produce a truss that is selfadjusting to all positions of the rear legs and which, when the board-supporting struct-ure is set up, gives to the rear legs and hence to the whole structure very great lateral rigidity. Each rear leg, it will be noted, is by its brace 28 and hinge lug 13 directly connected to the board at a point laterally offset from its leg pivot nearly the width of the ironing board and this, of course, affords a very rigid lateral truss or brace.

nails or 'When the leg structure is set up, as shown in F' 1 and 6, and by full lines in Fig. 11, all o the supporting elements will be put under tension; oblique legs 17 will be stopped against further rearward movement by engagement with the bottom of -the board and with hinge bracket 19; bottom brace 25 will limit the rearward movements of the rear legs to positions shown; and stop brace bars 20 interlocked against cleat or detent 24 will press rear legs as far rearward as they will go, putting bottom brace -25 under tension.

At such time as already indicated, the crossed rear leg braces 28 perform their important function of very rigidly limiting the spread of the rear legs. Under movements of the rear legs 15 to and from board-supporting position, the leg braces 28 change their angle in respect to each other and in respect to the legs but very slightly and such f movement will be permitted by a very slight looseness in the pivotal connections 30 or by very slight spring in the metallic parts of the connections. To fold the board-supporting structure it is only necessary to disengage the free end of the top brace 20 from cleat 24, allowing the same to drop and then to fold all of the elements against the bottom of the board, as shown in Fig. 10. Obviously, the two crossed rear leg braces 28 afford a trussed connection between the legs and the board in which each leg is trussed by a brace that extends to the opposite side of the board, and the spreading of the legs when turned down is due to the fact that the pivotal connection between the rear leg braces and board is axially out of alignment with the rear leg pivots.

This improved ironing board has, in actual practice, been found to possess all of the desirable features enumerated or suggested in the preamble and the description following the same. The drawings illustrate a commercial form of the invention but it will be understood that the invention is capable of modification and that I desire to claim all modifications thereof Within the scope of the appended claims and mechanical equivalents thereof.

What I claim is: A

1. The combination with an ironing board, of a supporting structure therefor comprising rear legs pivotally connected thereto for lateral spreading movements when turned to board-supporting position, and transversely crossed rear leg {braces connected to the bottom of said board at their upper ends b v pivots that are out of axial alignment with the rear leg pivots and at their lower ends attached to the respective legs transversely opposite to their pivoted upper ends, and arranged to brace said rear legs laterally and` in spread positions when-said legs are turned to board-supporting positions.

2. The combination with an ironing board,

tl I) of a supportin structure therefor comprising rear legs pivotally connected thereto for lateral spreadin movements when turned to board-support1ng position, and transversely crossed rear leg braces connected to the bottom of said board at their upper ends by pivots located rearward of the rear leg pivots and at their lower ends attached to the respective legs transversely opposite to their pivoted upper ends, the rear leg and leg brace pivots being set out of alignment to provide for spreading of said rear legs when turned down to board-supporting position.

3. The combination with an ironing board, of a supporting structure therefor comprising rear legs pivotally connected thereto for lateral spreading movements when turned to board-supportin position, and transversely crossed rear leg t(braces connected to the bottom of said board at their upper ends by pivots located rearward of the rear leg pivots and at their lower ends attached to the respective legs transversely opposite to their pivoted upper ends, said leg brace pivotal connections to the board being offset rearward of the rear leg pivotal connections to said board so as to permit spreadin of said rear legs and to brace the same lateral y when said rear legs are turned to board-supporting positions.

4. The structure defined in claim 1 in further combination with a transverse metal strap rigidly secured to said board and having downturned lugs to which said rear legs and leg braces are ivotally connected.

5. The structure defined 1n claim 1 in further combination with a transverse vmetal strap rigidl secured to said board and having downturne lugs to which said rear legs and leg braces are pivotally connected, those portions of said lugs to which said rear legs are pivoted having a downward diver ence and those portions of said lugs to whic said leg braces are pivoted having a downward convergence.

6. The structure defined in claim 1 in which said board-supporting structure further comprises av forwardly inclined leg pivoted to the bottom of the board, a top brace pivoted to said rear legs and detachably engageable with the bottom of the board, and a bottom brace attached to the lower portion of said oblique ter when the board-suiporting structure is set to support the boar l 8. The combination with an ironing board, V

of a supporting structure therefor including pivoted rear legs, a yoke-like bracket rigidly secured to the bottom of the board, an inclined le pivotally connected to said yokelike bracet and having portions engageable with the bottom of sald yokeand with the bottom of said board to limit the downward movement of said oblique leg in respect to the board, and braces co-operating with said rear legs and oblique leg to support the board.

9. The combination with an ironing board, of a supporting structure therefor comprising reai' legs connected to said boardby oblicue pivots, set to cause said legs to spread w en turned to board-supporting position, and transversely crossed rear legbraces connected to the bottom of said board at their upper ends by -pivots located rearward of the rear leg pivots and at their lower ends attached to the respective legs transversely opposite to their pivoted upper ends and arranged to brace said rear -levs laterally and in spread positions when said legs are turned to board-supporting positions.

. 10. The combination with an ironing board, of a supporting structure therefor comprising rear legs connected to said board by oblique pivots, set to cause said legs to spread when turned to board-sup orting posltion, and transversal crosse rear le braces connected to the ttom of said boar at their upper ends by pivots located rearward of the rear leg pivots and at their lower ends attached to the respective legs transversely opposite to their pivoted up r ends and arranged to brace sai rear legs aterally and in spread positions whenv said legs are turned to boardpporting ositions, said -rear legs and brace leg ivots ing set out of alignment to provide or spreading of said legs when turned down to board-supporting poiitiinii' n f 1 asx t e lmon w ereo m S a ure.

y JOHN E. ao N.

. leg and slidably pivoted to said rear legs and limiting the rearward movement of the latter when the board-supporting structure is set to support the board.

7. The structure defined in claim 8 in which 

